It came as little surprise that the VNR industry took a huge hit
during the months following September 11, when TV stations were running
non-stop news coverage of the tragedy's aftermath. Today the industry is
battling back, generating revenue based on what was virtually
nonexistent airtime just six months ago - and healthcare is leading the
way.

It came as little surprise that the VNR industry took a huge hit
during the months following September 11, when TV stations were running
non-stop news coverage of the tragedy's aftermath. Today the industry is
battling back, generating revenue based on what was virtually
nonexistent airtime just six months ago - and healthcare is leading the
way.

Starting with the many health-related releases that addressed issues
pertaining directly to the terrorist attacks - such as stress, anxiety,
insomnia, depression, and poor air quality - healthcare is one of the
few VNR-producing industries that has barely missed a beat.

Back to basics

"Since September 11, there has been a major trend in stations going back
to the basics,

says Doug Simon, president of DS Simon Productions.
"Journalists are returning to their true callings, and healthcare has
always been a genuine area of importance.

Cast with a seemingly
permanent somber tone, news providers are less accepting of stories that
do not have meaningful implications. And, having had to rebuild around a
new sense of normalcy, audiences have found comfort in maintaining their
desire to live healthy lives.

Just what is it about healthcare that makes it such a winner among
VNRs?

"Healthcare is number one because it transcends all age groups and
demographics,

says Dan Johnson, president of DWJ Television. "Only
certain groups are interested in sports or business, for example, but
everyone cares about keeping their bodies healthy.

Although every drug
approval, research study, or clinical trial does not directly apply to
all audiences, tangible tactics are embedded in successful VNRs, making
them informative and interesting to a great number of viewers.

says Mark Dembo, COO of West Glen Communications. In March and
April 2001, West Glen distributed a VNR for PoleStar to promote a
portable MRI that can be used during brain surgery. The release was run
nationally by NBC and Fox, and locally by NBC, Fox, and CBS affiliates.
West Glen's VNR was viewed by 3,694,000 people, and aired 47 times.
Clearly, the majority of people who saw the release will never have
brain surgery, but the technological advancement made it newsworthy and
interesting to many. The general message about improvements in medical
care naturally instills confidence and security in all viewers.

"Successful VNRs need to define what the story is and clearly state the
news value,

continues Dembo. "We always play devil's advocate with
clients when they present us with a VNR idea. It is necessary to ask,
'Who is going to care about this?'"

Opportunities abound

More of a way of life than a chosen point of interest, healthy living is
an enormously popular subject that has resulted in almost all news
stations, at all times, having sections dedicated to it. With so many
existing media outlets needing to fill airtime, producers of VNRs are
presented with numerous opportunities to have their releases run. With
TV being the strongest medium for informing audiences and shaping
attitudes, healthcare companies and those sending their messages are
fortunate that stations are dedicating so much time to the issues. And
on the flip side, TV stations are grateful for the information given to
them by these companies.

"When dealing with healthcare, stations are more accepting of outside
source materials than they normally would be because they don't have the
resources to get the necessary information,

explains Simon. There is a
sense of secrecy that accompanies healthcare news because everything is
embargoed, so no one can breathe a word of the announcement before it is
officially released. And because of the immediate nature of healthcare
stories, television stations are willing and grateful to rely on VNR
makers and the healthcare companies - often the only two sources that
know the story - for this material.

TV stations want to see doctors, patients, lab footage, animation, and
manufacturing information in VNRs to project a credible and newsworthy
message so that viewers regularly turn to them as a reliable source. It
is next to impossible for stations to gather these sources because of
the great number of healthcare segments that run daily. This creates an
unusual situation in which broadcast journalists and pitchers are
equally dependent on one another.

Although it is clearly a market with vast potential, "producing
healthcare VNRs is not like having a blank check, where anything you
send out will get on the air,

warns Johnson. As much as TV reporters
need healthcare materials to fill airtime, unless the information is
accessible to them and viewers, it won't be used. "People want things on
a silver platter,

says Ken Fry, SVP for On The Scene Productions.
"Reporters and viewers want what they see to be as easy for them as
possible.

Clean quotes, good visuals, relevant celebrities, and a local
angle are all elements that score well on healthcare VNR report
cards.

Rules VNRs must follow

Because of FDA regulations, the language in healthcare VNRs is sometimes
censored, so producers need to work with what they have to ensure that
audiences can clearly understand the message. Animation that shows the
mechanism of action - how the drug or treatment actually effects the
body - "can make the story,

Beyond creating a VNR that contains appropriate material that viewers
can relate to, the primary concern of producers should be to maintain
the objective to inform, rather than promote or sell. FDA regulations
include several rules designed to prevent healthcare VNRs from becoming
too commercial. But industry professionals often debate over what
constitutes being "too commercial."

"I don't think it is an overarching issue,

says one VNR producer,
"because everyone knows what the FDA does and doesn't allow.

And these
rules seem pretty straightforward: there can be no more than two product
mentions per release; the product cannot be shown at the same time you
are saying its name; and there can be no off-label promotion when a drug
is being promoted for a use other than for what it has been
approved.

However, it is suggested that some misinterpretation of the rules is
taking place. "The FDA will eventually have to crack down to ensure that
there is a level of credibility when producing healthcare VNRs,

another
insider predicts. "Some of the releases done for drug companies are
over-the-top promotional."